Cover Story
Ravi Patel hits the big screen
It’s campaign season and signs are planted in the ground alongside roads and among the front yards of dedicated supporters. But you won’t find the typical signs poking out of the grass from the lawn of actor/filmmaker/director Ravi Patel’s parents’ home in South Charlotte. Instead, you’ll find campaign-like propaganda promoting Meet the Patels, a documentary…
First Drip (9/16/15): Election results are in, Democratic mayoral candidates to go into run-off
The news you need to know today.
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Cinderella, Furious 7, Vigilante Force among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) BILLY TWO HATS (1973). After enjoying a 21-year run as a top box office star, Gregory Peck endured a decade-long downturn, appearing in seven consecutive flops in the years sandwiched between 1966’s Arabesque…
From heels to hair: All that goes into getting ready
Guys, it’s not as easy as you think.
First Drip (9/15/15): Early voters set record in Charlotte primaries
The news you need to know today.
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
First Drip (9/14/15): Sanders speaks to large crowd at Winthrop
The news you need to know today.
Today’s Top 5: Saturday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
The Visit: Something old, something ew
THE VISIT ** (out of four) DIRECTED BY M. Night Shyamalan STARS Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould Your mileage may vary, but I find the prospect of sitting through another motion picture shot in the “found footage” format about as appealing as watching Jaden Smith tackle the title role in a big-budget production of King Lear.…
First Drip (9/11/15): Plaza Midwood residents petition against proposed development
The news you need to know today.
Opening Friday
What’s new in theaters this weekend.
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
First Drip (9/10/15): This year’s Charlotte murder total already surpasses 2014
The news you need to know today.
De Palma’s Dressed to Kill, Craven’s Shocker among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) THE AGE OF ADALINE (2015). Blake Lively, in her best role — and best performance — since her breakout turn in 2005’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, plays Adaline Bowman, who was…
Chris Robinson has found happiness with his latest band
Perhaps it comes with age, but, at some point, there comes a time when you have to do what makes you happy in life. The frustrations of doing otherwise aren’t worth it and easy joyful feelings can mean the world to you. That’s how Chris Robinson views the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. The former frontman of…
CD review: Hectorina
Local indie-rock trio Hectorina continues to be one of the area’s most dynamic acts and its new, self-titled studio album solidifies that statement. From the opening, jangly, falsetto-laden “I Want to Be Well” to the Lennon-esque screaming of “I Traded My Gun for a Butterfly Net” to the all-over-the-map schizophrenia of “I Picked Up a…
ZZ Ward establishes a connection
It’s been close to three years since singer/guitarist ZZ Ward released her debut album, Til the Casket Drops. Soaked with soul and bolstered by blues riffs, Ward brought forth her own brand of rock that won over fans with catchy songs including, the title track and “Put the Gun Down.” After a stint of relentless…
Organizers ramp up efforts to get the black community to the polls
During the first week of September, I found James “Smuggie” Mitchell, a former Charlotte City Council member running to return to his seat, leading a “Dub C! You know!” chant in a packed Excelsior Club off Beatties Ford Road, just down the street from West Charlotte High School, Smuggie’s alma mater. Watching folks young and…
Some candidates feel it’s ‘affiliate or die’
If you’re wondering why more unaffiliated candidates don’t run for office in local elections, the answer lies in a century old law that continues to hurt anyone not toeing the traditional party line. More than 100 years ago, the North Carolina General Assembly began requiring signed petitions from unaffiliated candidates before they could appear on…
Weekly horoscope (Sept. 10-16)
For All Signs: This September brings a month of fresh challenges. This is an eclipse season which often brings situations to crisis proportions. Saturn, which rules business and structure, changes signs to Sagittarius. Venus turned direct last week and now we must correct our relationship behavior. Mercury turns retrograde next week. It represents a lot…
Tamarind’s Indian summer
Thanks to the peripatetic nature of Charlotte’s restaurant industry, you never know when you will encounter a familiar face, or style, or distinct taste. Tamarind: Fine Indian Cuisine materialized in a dated Matthews shopping center a few months ago without much hype. Chef and owner Bhim Thapa, a native of Nepal, gained his culinary experience…
Three questions for Matt Williams, owner and operator of Rico’s Acai Food Truck
Chef Matt Williams, who has lived in Charlotte on and off over the past seven years, is in love with a berry from the Amazon. That berry, called acai, has led him to a new commitment. In July, he opened a food truck called Rico’s Acai. It specializes in the acclaimed super-food, Brazilian-style bowls that…
Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (Sept. 10)
Free Rides: A man recently learned a hard lesson about trust in west Charlotte. He picked multiple suspects up off the side of the road to give them “a courtesy ride” last week, and stopped at a gas station on the way to drop them off. The man entered the store alone and when he…
While we pay lawmakers to sit on their hands, area teachers wait in uncertainty
Back-to-school time is always stressful for parents. We shop for a ton of items, we get laundry done, we plan lunch menus, we clean band instruments – basically, we make sure the kids have all their shit together so they can get a successful start to the year. Unfortunately, no matter how much we buy…
